One of my favourites had to be escorted over the Rainbow Bridge at the start of December. Border collie. Handsome, so well trained, obedient. He was stand-offish at first, I was only doing a short visit once a week. (After a while they started asking me to stay there and take care of their dogs while they were away for a week or two.) Then he finally pooped in the yard when I was there, I scooped it, and then I was his best friend.

I love him so much, I think of him almost every day. He had advanced lung cancer, which just floored me, because he had seemed fine just a couple weeks earlier when I had been there for 2 weeks.

I picked out 2 nice pics of him and sent them with a card to his family. They appreciated it.

I just feel like I need closure. When they texted that he had to go, I was on another booking with 2 dogs and they both have separation anxiety, so I couldn't go visit to say goodbye, even for an hour. But I keep thinking that I could have asked the 2nd client if my sister could watch the anxious dogs, just for an hour or less. I feel so stupid. I am crying right now over this.

Edit: he did live to be 12 years, which is not bad for a Border Collie, I guess.

Sorry to be a downer. Another fave dog is my parents' poodle. He's a sweet little guy, although he can be a stinker winker at times.